Event Attendee Data and Privacy in the UAE: A Practical Guide
What event organisers in the UAE should know about attendee data — consent, marketing opt-ins, face check-in and biometrics, data sharing with sponsors, retention and security.
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Events collect a lot of personal data: names, phone numbers, emails, job titles, sometimes passport details, and now faces. The UAE's Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) sets expectations for how it's handled.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Take advice for your specific event, especially if you handle sensitive data or attendees from other countries.
Principles to follow
- Collect only what you need. See registration form best practices.
- Be clear about why. Say what you'll use each piece of data for.
- Separate consents for event updates, marketing and sharing with sponsors.
- Keep it secure. Use access controls and encryption, and don't email spreadsheets around.
- Delete it when you're done, or keep it only as long as you said you would.
Face check-in and biometrics
Biometric data is sensitive. For face check-in:
- Make it opt-in, with explicit consent
- Offer a QR alternative
- Delete face templates after the event
- Restrict who can access the data
Sharing with sponsors and exhibitors
Only share attendee details with sponsors if attendees agreed to it. Badge scanning is a good model: the attendee chooses to let an exhibitor scan them.
Get opt-in before sending WhatsApp messages, and keep marketing separate from ticket and event updates. See WhatsApp for events.
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